Did you know, that in Mongolia more than 5000 people provided feedback through the “My World Survey”, sharing their opinion and ideas on priorities for the formulation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development? All those votes were collected thanks to the active engagement of volunteers including the UN Youth Advisory Panel of Mongolia. They helped more voices heard from hard-to-reach communities, which otherwise would have been left behind.

Did you also know, that through volunteer actions, many Mongolians are raising awareness and advocating for vulnerable groups, like victims of gender based violence? UNFPA’s Orange Session is an example, where young musicians in Mongolia advocated for ending violence against women.

Such encouraging volunteering initiatives are what the State of World’s Volunteerism Report 2015 – “Transforming Governance” – the Mongolian version of which we are launching here today - is all about.

This report demonstrates the power of volunteer voices in impacting the quality of governance at local national and global levels and in improving the way how communities and societies are governed. The report shows how volunteers act as catalysts for civic engagement in development processes and how they can be agents of change for achieving sustainable development results.

Many perceive governance as an issue which needs to be dealt at the political level. But in fact, it concerns every person in all parts of the society. Governance is a two way street and is about enhancing voice and participation of all citizens as well as accountability and responsiveness of the government institutions.

In Mongolia too, we observe that people are becoming increasingly in volunteering and are willing to volunteer to express themselves and transform the society constructively. The youth leads the way, and are creating new and interesting ways to contribute. The Social Good Summit 2015, for example, which introduced the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to the youth in Mongolia would not have been possible without the support and engagement of so many youth volunteers.

The SDGs and the 2030 Agenda are about a different kind of development, a development that is more inclusive and more sustainable. It is about changing the way we live, behave, do business, consume and produce. Making the agenda a reality will require behavior changes across the entire society and will require communities, civil society, businesses, governments, everyone at all levels to get involved. In this process, volunteers will have a key role to play in representing the voices of those who are otherwise excluded from development decisions.

Recognising the importance of good governance and participation for the successful implementation of the SDGs in Mongolia the UN has included a result on “Fostering Voice and Accountability” in the new 5 year Framework for UN Development Assistance for Mongolia.

Last, but not least, I would like to thank the Online Volunteers who made it possible to have the report available in Mongolian. This Mongolian version is the first full translation of the Report in a non-UN official language. Making such a report available in local languages of course helps a lot to get the most out of it and get it widely disseminated.